Feeding, printing, and cutting machine



Oct. 17, 1939. Y J. RUDIE 2,176,690

FEEDING, PRINTING, AND CUTTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 7, 1957 :5 Sheets-Sheet I f zvznior.

JZ/L [U6 Bub/E ArTQENE'Kr Oct. 17,1939. .1. RUDIE I FEEDING, PRINTING, AND CUTTING MACHINE.

Filed Sept. '7, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 9, WM ATTOEN'Yd Patented Oct. 17, 1939 FEEDING, PRINTING, AND CUTTING MACHINE Julius Rudie, St. James, Minn. Application September 7, 1937, Serial No. 162,675

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in feeding, printing and cutting mechanism and has, among its objects to provide a label printing and cutting device; to provide a compact device;

to use rock levers as a means for operating the various mechanisms; to synchronize the movements of the levers from a single shaft; to provide a novel cutting mechanism, and means for operating the same; to provide a novel means for operating a printing mechanism; to provide a novel feeding mechanism and means for operating the same; to utilize the reciprocating type of printing mechanism, and to lever-actuate the same by symmetrical application of force.

Features of the invention include all details .of construction shown, as well as the arrangement of the parts in relation to a specific type of printing mechanism; the arrangement of a supply holder about centrally of the machine to be .sur-

2O rounded by portions of the operating mechanism;

and the broader ideas of means inherent in disclosure.

Objects, features and advantagesof the invention will ,be set forth in the description of the drawings, and in said drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on line l,-l of Figure 5, showing the printing head atits upper limit, but justready to .descend, see diagram Figure '7.

Figure 2 is a plan view partly in section with the mechanism positionedas in Fi gure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 3-3 of Figure 5, with a cutterat its upper limit just ready to descend, see diagram Figure 8.

I Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section on line l l of Figure 1, with the parts just ready to feed and with the printing head in raised position, see diagram Figure 9.

Figure 5 is a plan section on line 5-5 of Figure'3.

Figure 6 is a cross section on line 6.6 of Figure 3, with the knife and printing headin uppermost positions.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the relations of the lever-operating lugs of the lever-operating means, and corresponding to the position of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing the positions of the lever operating lugs, and corresponding to their position in Figure 3.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing the positions of the lever operating lugs, and corresponding to their position in Figure 4.

Referring first to Figure 5, the numeral l generallyindicatesa base creasing uponor within which are arranged vertical longitudinally extending partition elements respectively indicated 2 and 3, see also Figure 6. These partition elements have horizontal bottom portions, 4, 5, having up-turned flanges 6 which are held by suit- 5 able fastening devices I to the outer casing I. To the portions 4, 5 are attached rubber feet 9. The partitions 2 and 3 have upper horizontal flanges respectively designated Iii-l I, which act as supports for other parts of the mechanism. The vertical height of the plates 2 and 3 at the rear is greater than at the front as shown in Figure 1. Suitable spacer and brace bars for the plates are indicated at I5. The plates, with these bars, form a frame for .the'mechanism arranged l-J transversely at the rear and journaled in suitable bearings of the plates 2 and 3 is adrive shaft 20 having a crank 2| and having thereon :3 discs respectively indicated 2'12, Z3, 24 and 25. These discs constitute part of one kind of means for syn- 20 chronizing the printing, cutting and feeding mechanisms. Discs 22 and 2 5 control printing and each has thereon a lug, said lugs being respectively designated 21 and 28. These lugs cooperate with levers respectively designated 30 and 2 3i, pivoted as at 32 to the outer sides of plates 2 and 3.

The forward arms of the levers are connected with a printing mechanism, which is' placed at the front of the machine. The illustrated printing mechanism per se is not claimed herein, but no limitation as to structure is intended. The relation of this specific type of mechanism to the other parts of the apparatus is claimed. Other reciprocatory typesor any typeof printing mech- $3? anism which lends itself to operation .by levers, is considered .to be equivalent. In Figure 6 the forward arm or each lever 3ll-3l is shown pivotally attached to a forked fitting 35, which is in turn attachedby a pin .36 to the lower end of a 40 plunger rod, 38, .reciprocable in a guide .39 secured to and depending from the outturned portion iii-ll of the partitions 2 3. These rods are connected by their tops .to the upper frame member of a reciprocable type of printing 45 mechanism. Whenthe rods are lowered by the levers, framed!) engages frame 4|, and lowers it to press bottom plate 62 against the material being printed. Arm 4 3 offrameM compress springs 45, and the printing discs 46,,pass through open- 50 ing 41 of plate 42, and engage and print the material. The springs act automatically to restore frames 40 and 4! to the positions of Figures ,4 and 6.

No detailed description is given of this well 55 known printing mechanism, which is used in hand numbering machines. It is understood, however, that other forms of printing mechanisms may be connected to and operated by the slide bars by means of levers and there is no intention to limit the invention entirely to the use of the specific printing device, although this specific device is claimed in combination with the means for operating it, and also in combination with the feeding and cutting mechanisms.

Referring to Figures 3, 4, the feeding mechanism includes a feed roll or disc 58 on a shaft 5i journaled, see Figure 5, in the partition plates 2 and 3. This disc 59 has a roughened surface, and the disc projects upwardly through a slot 54 of a feed table 65, see Figures 3 and 4. A roller 55 cooperates with the tape or material 56, a roll 57 of which is shown, to bring the material across the working surface of the disc 5%, and this roll is mounted as best shown in Fig ures 2, 3 and 4 upon pintle 60 of a plate 6| which has upturned flanges pivoted upon a cross shaft 62, the shaft being mounted on lugs 63 which extend upwardly from the feed table 65. Coil springs 68 interposed between lugs 63, and the flanges of plate 6! act through the plate to urge the roller to operative position. The plate 6! is slotted for the reception of the roller 55 as shown in Figure 2, and pivotally associated with the plate 6! and pivoted by ears on laterally extending ends of pintle 69, is a gravity acting plate T0 weighted as at H, and adapted to yieldably hold the material flat as it approaches the knife or cutting zone. The said feed table 65, is provided with a forwardly arranged pair of guide pins l3 and also with a rearwardly arranged pair of guide pins Hi, see Figure 3. The latter pins are arranged on a downwardly rearwardly curved portion 65 of the table 65. The rollercarrying plate ti has an upturned portion 18 cooperative with the down turned portion 15 of the feed table to form a receiving guide throat. The pivoting of the plate to the shaft of the presser roller 55 is a feature, and it is noted that by this means the rear end of the presser plate always follows the motions of the roller conformably to varying thickness of the material. being fed. It is also noted that the forward end of the plate is near the cutting point so that proper holding of the material is assured at this point, it being noted again that the outer freely movable portion of this plate is weighted.

On the shaft 5! to which the feed disc 50 is attached is a ratchet wheel see Figures 4 and 5, with the teeth of which a pawl 8i engages. .This pawl is pivoted as at 82, to a rock lever 83, which lever is pivoted as at 84 to partition 2. A spring 85 urges the pawl to operative position. A detent 85 is cooperative with the teeth of the ratchet wheel to prevent reverse motion. Lever 83 is operated by lug 81 of disc 24 of shaft 20. Forwardly of the feed disc 55 is a platen roller 98 on which the material lies while being printed. This platen has a rubber facing. When feeding takes place this platen is rotated by means of 'a belt 9! and pulleys 92, 93, one pulley 92, being on the shaft 94 of the platen roll and the other pulley 93 being on the shaft 5| of the feed disc 50 and ratchet wheel 85. The printing discs 46, as before stated, move downwardly through the slot 47, see Figure 4, to engage and print the material lying on the platen. Attached to the plate 42 are a pair of spring fingers 42 which hold the material againstthe platen with sufiicient pressure to insure positive ejection by the platen, of the printed labels or tags from the machine.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3; arranged between the feed disc 50 and platen roll and cooperative with'the forward edges of a plate N16, is a knife. This knife is so arranged that when it is pulled to its lowest position it cooperates with the outer edge ml of the hardened insert plate Iilil of the feed table 55, to shear off or out the material. The knife 93 is connected by a link 32 with the forward arm of a. lever W5 pivoted as at it. When the lug Hill on the disc 23 engages and properly moves the lever, cutting occurs. The knife is pivoted as at H2 to lugs which rise from the hardened insert plate liii! the outer. edge of which cooperates with the knife for shearing. These structural details, are features of the invention, along with the broader general combinations.

Referring to Figure 1; when the levers move from the full line position to the dot-and-dash line position, printing occurs. It is noted that each lever has a retraction spring H5, which yieldably resists movement of the lever by the lug. Thus, when action of the lug ceases the lever is caused to assume an initial position, in Figure l with the printing head fully raised, in Figure 3 with the knife fully raised and in Figure 4 with the pawl at its uppermost limit ready for a down stroke.

Referring to Figure 4 which shows the position of the parts at the beginning of feeding, see also Figure 9. On rotation of the shaft by the crank, in counter-clockwise direction, the ratchet mechanism is operated and the feed disc 5!] is moved in counter-clockwise direction to feed the material to the position of Figure 3. In this figure printing is or has taken place, whereafter, on movement of the parts from their full to their dot-and-dash line positions see also Figure 8, cutting occurs. Thereafter the parts assume the position of Figure 4, and as feeding again occurs the cut off portion is moved by the platen through the opening H6 and into the hand of the operator, onto a table, or into some receptacle not shown.

It will be noted that the rock levers operate in parallel vertical planes which are perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft 20. This is a feature which makes for compactness, ease of assembly, and simplicity. Another feature is the compact arrangement of a receptacle I20 for a supply roll of material to be printed, between certain of the mechanisms and the operating shaft, and flanked by the levers. It is noted, see Figure 5, that pairs of levers lie at opposite sides of this receptacle and that the receptacle lies below the top l2! of the top of the casing. Ordinarily a full roll (in this instance of paper tape) will project above the plane of the top of the casing. The top l2l of the casing is slotted as at I22 for introduction of the supply into the receptacle. The receptacle may be formed and supported in any suitable manner.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine for printing and cutting labels from a strip of tape, a rotary platen, means for intermittently feeding the tape to the platen, tension means for holding the tape in frictional contact with the platen during the printing operation, means for severing the tape, and means whereby the printed label is ejected from the machine by rotary movement of the platen, and as a result of said tension means holding the anisms, a rotary platen beneath the printing mechanism, means for intermittently feeding the tape to the platen, whereby an impression may be made thereon by the printing mechanism, a plate disposed between the platen and the printing mechanism, and a plurality of resilient fingers secured to said plate and having their free ends yieldably holding the label in frictional contact with the periphery of the platen, whereby when the printing and severing operations have 10 been completed, rotation of the platen will eject the printed label from the machine.

JULIUS RUDIE. 

